Electronic device and method for detecting emergency of vehicle

ABSTRACT

A first electronic device comprises a communication circuitry; a memory configured to store instructions; and a processor, coupled with the communication circuitry; wherein the processor is configured to: receive, from a second electronic device, a signal for indicating to transmit a test signal via a device-to-device (D2D) communication path between the first electronic device and a third electronic device to the third electronic device, the signal is transmitted from the second electronic device to the first electronic device; transmit the test signal via the D2D communication path to the third electronic device; activate a timer for monitoring whether a response signal regarding the test signal is received or not; transmit, to the second electronic device, a first message for indicating that a vehicle is not in an emergency situation; and transmit, to the second electronic device, a second message for indicating that the vehicle is in the emergency situation.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a) of Koreanpatent applications filed in the Korean Intellectual Property Office onNov. 3, 2020, Nov. 4, 2020, and Nov. 2, 2021, respectively, and assignedSerial Nos. 10-2020-0145595, 10-2020-0145636, and 10-2021-0148736, thedisclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND Field

Various embodiments described below relate to an electronic device andmethod for detecting emergency.

Description of Related Art

With the development of information and communication technology (ICT),electronic devices embedded in vehicles or detachably attached to thevehicles have been developed. The electronic device may communicate withat least one other electronic device by including at least onecommunication circuit. The at least one other electronic device forexecuting communication with the electronic device may be a basestation, or may be a server, and may be a user equipment such as theelectronic device.

SUMMARY

An electronic device embedded in a vehicle or detachably attached to thevehicle may lose communication capabilities with other electronicdevices due to an accident of the vehicle. The loss of the communicationcapability may limit the electronic device to send the emergency call toanother electronic device associated with the emergency agent.Therefore, even if the communication capability of the electronic deviceis lost, a method for detecting an accident of the vehicle that isembedded or detachably attached to the electronic device and tonotifying other electronic devices associated with an emergency agent.

The technical problems to be achieved in this document are not limitedto those described above, and other technical problems not mentionedherein will be clearly understood by those having ordinary knowledge inthe art to which the present disclosure belongs from the followingdescription.

A first electronic device according to various embodiments may comprisea communication circuitry; a memory configured to store instructions;and a processor, operably coupled with the communication circuitry;wherein the processor may be, when executing the instructions,configured to: receive, from a second electronic device operating as arelay node, a signal for indicating to transmit a test signal via adevice-to-device (D2D) communication path between the first electronicdevice and a third electronic device to the third electronic device, thesignal is transmitted from the second electronic device to the firstelectronic device in response to the second electronic device detectingthat a communication path between the second electronic device and thethird electronic device is disconnected; in response to the reception ofthe signal, transmit the test signal via the D2D communication path tothe third electronic device; in response to the reception of the signal,activate a timer for monitoring whether a response signal regarding thetest signal is received or not based on identifying that the responsesignal is received from the third electronic device before the activatedtimer is expired, transmit, to the second electronic device, a firstmessage for indicating that a vehicle comprising the third electronicdevice is not in an emergency situation; and based on identifying thatthe response signal is not received from the third electronic deviceuntil the activated timer is expired, transmit, to the second electronicdevice, a second message for indicating that the vehicle comprising thethird electronic device is in the emergency situation.

According to various embodiments, a method for operating a firstelectronic device comprising a communication circuitry, the method maycomprise: receiving, from a second electronic device operating as arelay node, a signal for indicating to transmit a test signal via adevice-to-device (D2D) communication path between the first electronicdevice and a third electronic device to the third electronic device, thesignal is transmitted from the second electronic device to the firstelectronic device in response to the second electronic device detectingthat a communication path between the second electronic device and thethird electronic device is disconnected; in response to the reception ofthe signal, transmit the test signal via the D2D communication path tothe third electronic device; in response to the reception of the signal,activate a timer for monitoring whether a response signal regarding thetest signal is received or not; based on identifying that the responsesignal is received from the third electronic device before the activatedtimer is expired, transmit, to the second electronic device, a firstmessage for indicating that a vehicle comprising the third electronicdevice is not in an emergency situation; and based on identifying thatthe response signal is not received from the third electronic deviceuntil the activated timer is expired transmit, to the second electronicdevice, a second message for indicating that the vehicle comprising thethird electronic device is in the emergency situation.

According to various embodiments, a computer readable storage medium maystore one or more programs, the one or more programs comprisinginstructions which when executed by at least one processor of a firstelectronic device, cause the first electronic device to: receive, from asecond electronic device operating as a relay node, a signal forindicating to transmit a test signal via a device-to-device (D2D)communication path between the first electronic device and a thirdelectronic device to the third electronic device, the signal istransmitted from the second electronic device to the first electronicdevice in response to the second electronic device detecting that acommunication path between the second electronic device and the thirdelectronic device is disconnected; in response to the reception of thesignal, transmit the test signal via the D2D communication path to thethird electronic device; in response to the reception of the signal,activate a timer for monitoring whether a response signal regarding thetest signal is received or not; based on identifying that the responsesignal is received from the third electronic device before the activatedtimer is expired, transmit, to the second electronic device, a firstmessage for indicating that a vehicle comprising the third electronicdevice is not in an emergency situation; and based on identifying thatthe response signal is not received from the third electronic deviceuntil the activated timer is expired, transmit, to the second electronicdevice, a second message for indicating that the vehicle comprising thethird electronic device is in the emergency situation.

The electronic device and method according to various embodiments canprovide enhanced public safety by detecting whether the other electronicdevice is in an emergency state using a device-to-device (D2D)communication capability of the electronic device located adjacent toanother electronic device having lost communication capability.

The effects that can be obtained from the present disclosure are notlimited to those described above, and any other effects not mentionedherein will be clearly understood by those having ordinary knowledge inthe art to which the present disclosure belongs, from the followingdescription.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of certainembodiments of the disclosure will be more apparent from the followingdescription taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

FIG. 1 illustrates an environment according to various embodiments;

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of signaling according to variousembodiments;

FIG. 3 is a simplified block diagram of an electronic device accordingto various embodiments;

FIG. 4 illustrates a system environment according to an embodiment; and

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an emergency situation notificationoperation according to an embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The terms used in the present disclosure are used only to describespecific embodiments and may not be intended to limit the scope of otherembodiments. The singular expression may include the plural expressionunless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Terms used herein,including technical or scientific terms, may have the same meaning asthose generally understood by those with ordinary knowledge in thetechnical field described in this disclosure. Among the terms used inthis disclosure, terms defined in general dictionary may be interpretedin the same or similar meaning as the context of the relevant technologyand may not be interpreted in an ideal or excessively formal meaningunless clearly defined in this disclosure. In some cases, even termsdefined in the present disclosure cannot be interpreted to excludeembodiments of the present disclosure.

In various embodiments of the present disclosure described below, ahardware approach method will be described as an example. However, sincevarious embodiments of the present disclosure include technologies thatuse both hardware and software, various embodiments of the presentdisclosure do not exclude software-based approaches.

FIG. 1 illustrates an environment according to various embodiments.

Referring to FIG. 1 , the environment 100 may include a first electronicdevice 110, a second electronic device 120, a third electronic device130, and a fourth electronic device 133.

In various embodiments, the first electronic device 110 may executecommunication with the second electronic device 120. For example, thefirst electronic device 110 may execute communication with the secondelectronic device 120 to transfer the signal received from the secondelectronic device 120 to another electronic device (not shown in FIG. 1). As another example, the first electronic device 110 may executecommunication with the second electronic device 120 to transmit a signalreceived from the other electronic device to the second electronicdevice 120. In various embodiments the first electronic device 110 mayexecute communication with the third electronic device 130. For example,the first electronic device 110 may execute communication with the thirdelectronic device 130 to transmit a signal received from the thirdelectronic device 130 to another electronic device. As another example,the first electronic device 110 may execute communication with the thirdelectronic device 130 to transmit a signal received from the otherelectronic device to the third electronic device 130.

In various embodiments, the first electronic device 110 may be anelectronic device to which a plurality of electronic devices includingthe second electronic device 120 and the third electronic device 130 areconnected. For example, each of the plurality of electronic deviceslocated in at least one cell provided by the first electronic device 110may access the first electronic device 110 and execute communicationwith the other electronic device based on the connection with the firstelectronic device 110. In other words, the first electronic device 110may be referred to as a relay node. For example, the first electronicdevice 110 may be a base station, an access point (AP), or the like.

In various embodiments, the second electronic device 120 may be anelectronic device included in a moving vehicle. For example, the secondelectronic device 120 may be a mobile terminal of a user in a vehicle Abeing moved. As another example, the second electronic device 120 may bea communication device embedded in a moving vehicle B. However, it isnot limited thereto.

In various embodiments, the second electronic device 120 may executecommunication with the first electronic device 110, which is an uppernode of the second electronic device 120. In various embodiments, thesecond electronic device 120 may execute communication with the thirdelectronic device 130 having the same level as the level of the secondelectronic device 120. For example, communication between the secondelectronic device 120 and the third electronic device 130 may bereferred to as device-to-device (D2D) communication in terms ofcommunication between electronic devices having the same level. Forexample, the D2D communication may mean communication for exchangingsignals through a direct communication path between the secondelectronic device 120 and the third electronic device 130 withoutpassing through a relay node such as the first electronic device 110.However, it is not limited thereto.

In various embodiments, the third electronic device 130 may be anelectronic device included in a moving vehicle. For example, the thirdelectronic device 130 may be a communication device embedded in themoving vehicle A.

In various embodiments, the third electronic device 130 may executecommunication with the first electronic device 110, which is an uppernode of the third electronic device 130. In various embodiments, thethird electronic device 130 may execute communication with the secondelectronic device 120 having the same level as the level of the thirdelectronic device 130. For example, communication between the thirdelectronic device 130 and the second electronic device 120 may bereferred to as device-to-device (D2D) communication in terms ofcommunication between electronic devices having the same level. However,it is not limited thereto.

In various embodiments, the fourth electronic device 133 may be anelectronic device that provides a vehicle emergency service to thesecond electronic device 120 through the first electronic device 110.For example, the fourth electronic device 133 may provide the vehicleemergency service to the second electronic device 120 by receiving thesignal from the second electronic device 120 through the firstelectronic device 110 and transmitting a message to another electronicdevice (not shown in FIG. 1 ) related to the emergency agent to notifythat the vehicle A is within the emergency state based on identifyingthat the vehicle A being moved is within the emergency state based onthe received signal. As another example, the fourth electronic device133 may provide the vehicle emergency service to the third electronicdevice 130 by receiving the signal from the third electronic device 130through the first electronic device 110 and transmitting a message tothe other electronic device related to the emergency agent to notifythat the vehicle B is within the emergency state based on identifyingthat the vehicle B being moved is within the emergency state based onthe received signal. However, it is not limited thereto. For example,the emergency state may mean a state (e.g., a traffic accident) in whichan external impact acts on a vehicle (e.g., vehicle A). For example, theemergency state may refer to a state in which the vehicle (e.g., vehicleA) malfunctions without the external impact. However, it is not limitedthereto

Various embodiments described below may identify whether thedisconnection of the communication path 140 between the first electronicdevice 110 and the third electronic device 130 is caused by an accidentof the vehicle A by using a communication path 135 between the firstelectronic device 110 and the second electronic device 120, thecommunication path 145 between the second electronic device 120 and thethird electronic device 130 and the communication path 132 between thefirst electronic device 110 and the fourth electronic device 133, whenthe communication path 140 between the first electronic device 110 andthe third electronic device 130 is disconnected; and may provide thevehicle emergency service for the vehicle A based on identifying thatthe disconnection of the communication path 140 between the firstelectronic device 110 and the third electronic device 130 is due to theemergency state of the vehicle A.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of signaling according to variousembodiments. Such signaling may be executed by the first electronicdevice 110, the second electronic device 120, and the third electronicdevice 130 shown in FIG. 1 .

Referring to FIG. 2 , in operation 210, the first electronic device 110may establish a first communication connection between the firstelectronic device 110 and the second electronic device 120. For example,the first electronic device 110 may broadcast information on at leastone cell provided by the first electronic device 110 and establish thefirst communication connection through control signaling with the secondelectronic device 120 connected to the first electronic device 110 basedon the information on the at least one cell.

In operation 220, the first electronic device 110 may establish a secondcommunication connection between the first electronic device 110 and thethird electronic device 130. For example, the first electronic device110 may broadcast information on at least one cell provided by the firstelectronic device 110 and may establish the second communicationconnection through control signaling with the third electronic device130 connected to the first electronic device 110 based on theinformation on the at least one cell. The second communicationconnection may be used for communication between the first electronicdevice 110 and the third electronic device 130.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example in which operation 220 is executed afteroperation 210 is executed, but this is for convenience of explanation.Operation 210 and operation 220 may be executed simultaneously, oroperation 210 may be executed after operation 220 is executed. In otherwords, operations 210 and 220 may be executed regardless of order or maybe executed in parallel.

In operation 230, the second communication connection between the firstelectronic device 110 and the third electronic device 130 may bedisconnected. For example, when the vehicle A is in an emergency state,the third electronic device 130 may lose communication capability withthe first electronic device 110. Due to the loss of the communicationcapability, the second communication connection between the firstelectronic device 110 and the third electronic device 130 may bedisconnected.

In operation 240, the first electronic device 110 may detect that thesecond communication connection is disconnected. For example, the firstelectronic device 110 may detect that the second communicationconnection is disconnected by identifying that at least one signal to beperiodically received from the third electronic device 130 is notreceived for designated time. However, it is not limited thereto. Forexample, the first electronic device 110 may identify the state of thesecond communication connection based at least in part on controlinformation or user data received from the third electronic device 130while the second communication connection is maintained. The firstelectronic device 110 may detect that the second communicationconnection is disconnected based on identifying that control informationor user data is not received from the third electronic device 130 eventhough the state of the second communication connection is capable ofproviding communication equal to or higher than a designated quality. Asanother example, the first electronic device 110 may transmit a requestsignal to the third electronic device 130. The first electronic device110 may detect that the second communication connection is disconnectedbased on identifying that the response signal for the request signal isnot received for a specified time. As another example, the firstelectronic device 110 may obtain information on the location of thethird electronic device 130 and identify that the third electronicdevice 130 is located within at least one cell provided by the firstelectronic device 110 based on the location of the third electronicdevice 130. For example, the information on the location may be obtainedfrom a value of a timing advance (TA) for the first electronic device110, or may be obtained by explicitly receiving information on thelocation from the third electronic device 130 while the secondcommunication connection is maintained. For example, the information onthe location may be obtained from another electronic device (e.g., aserver for providing a navigation service) connected to the thirdelectronic device 130. However, it is not limited thereto. The firstelectronic device 110 may detect that the second communicationconnection is disconnected under a condition that the signal from thethird electronic device 130 is not received for a designated time eventhough the third electronic device 130 is located within the at leastone cell. However, it is not limited thereto.

In operation 250, the first electronic device 110 may identify for thesecond electronic device 120 by searching for at least one electronicdevice adjacent to the third electronic device 130 based on thedetection or in response to the detection. For example, the firstelectronic device 110 may obtain information on location of each of theplurality of electronic devices from each of a plurality of electronicdevices in at least one cell provided by the first electronic device110. The first electronic device 110 may search for the secondelectronic device 120 by searching for at least one electronic deviceadjacent to the third electronic device 130 based on the information. Inan embodiment, the first electronic device 110 may search for the secondelectronic device 120 further based on the strength of reception of theinformation. As another example, the first electronic device 110 mayidentify the second electronic device 120 by searching for an electronicdevice having identification information corresponding to identificationinformation (or account information) of the third electronic device 130.For example, when the third electronic device 130 is an embedded devicein the moving vehicle A and the second electronic device 120 is aportable device of the moving vehicle A, the identification informationof the second electronic device 120 may correspond to the identificationinformation of the third electronic device 130. The first electronicdevice 110 may identify the second electronic device 120 by searchingfor an electronic device having identification information correspondingto the identification information of the third electronic device 130. Asanother example, the first electronic device 110 may transmit a requestto transmit a response to all electronic devices in the at least onecell provided or served by the first electronic device 110 and theelectronic device connected or connectable through the D2D communicationpath with the third electronic device 130 may transmit a request totransmit a response to the first electronic device 110. The firstelectronic device 110 may identify the second electronic device 120based on receiving the response from the second electronic device 120.However, it is not limited thereto.

In operation 260, the first electronic device 110 may request stateinformation of the third electronic device 130 from the secondelectronic device 120 searched through operation 250. For example, thefirst electronic device 110 may inquire to the second electronic device120 in what state the third electronic device 130 is in through thefirst communication connection. In an embodiment, the priority ofrequesting the state information may be higher than the priority ofother signals transmitted from the first electronic device 110 to thesecond electronic device 120. For example, in response to searching forthe second electronic device 120 in operation 250, the first electronicdevice 110 may defer transmission of the other signals to be transmittedto the second electronic device 120 and transmit a request for the stateinformation. However, it is not limited thereto. The second electronicdevice 120 may receive the request from the first electronic device 110.

In operation 270, the second electronic device 120 may transmit a testsignal to the third electronic device 130 through a communication path(e.g., the communication path 145 of FIG. 1 ) between the secondelectronic device 120 and the third electronic device 130. According toembodiments, the test signal may be repeatedly transmitted from thesecond electronic device 120 to the third electronic device 130 toprovide high reception performance. According to embodiments, thetransmission strength of the test signal repeatedly transmitted from thesecond electronic device 120 to the third electronic device 130 may havediversity to provide high reception performance. For example, at thefirst transmission, the test signal may be transmitted to X (dB) and atthe second transmission, the test signal may be transmitted to Y (dB) (Yis a value greater than X). However, it is not limited thereto.According to embodiments, the frequency of the test signal repeatedlytransmitted from the second electronic device 120 to the thirdelectronic device 130 may have diversity. For example, at the firsttransmission, the test signal is transmitted on a first frequency in atransmission band of the communication path between the secondelectronic device 120 and the third electronic device 130; at the secondtransmission, the test signal may be transmitted on a second frequencyin the transmission band different from the first frequency. However, itis not limited thereto.

In various embodiments, the test signal may be a signal that specifiesand is transmitted to the third electronic device 130. For example thetest signal may be unicast. For example, if the identificationinformation of the second electronic device 120 corresponds to theidentification information of the third electronic device 130 or if thesecond electronic device 120 and the third electronic device are thesame user's electronic devices, the second electronic device 120 mayspecify the second electronic device 120, the third electronic device130 and may transmit the test signal because the second electronicdevice 120 recognizes information on the third electronic device 130. Asanother example, in operation 260, the second electronic device 120 mayobtain information of the third electronic device 130 from the requestreceived from the first electronic device 110. The second electronicdevice 120 may specify the third electronic device 130 based on theinformation of the third electronic device 130 obtained in operation 260and transmit the test signal. However, it is not limited thereto.

In operation 272, in response to completing the transmission of the testsignal, the second electronic device 120 may activate a timer fordetecting whether the vehicle related to the third electronic device 130is in an emergency situation.

For example, it is assumed that the distance between the firstelectronic device 110 and the third electronic device 130 is longer thanthe distance between the second electronic device 120 and the thirdelectronic device 130. Due to the difference between the distancebetween the first electronic device 110 and the third electronic device130 and the distance between the second electronic device 120 and thethird electronic device 130, the communication connection between thesecond electronic device 120 and the third electronic device 130 may bemore robust than the second communication connection between the firstelectronic device 110 and the third electronic device 130.

Considering the robustness of the communication connection between thesecond electronic device 120 and the third electronic device 130, whenthe second communication connection between the first electronic device110 and the third electronic device 130 is disconnected and thecommunication connection between the second electronic device 120 andthe third electronic device 130 is activated, it may mean that thevehicle A in which the third electronic device 130 is embedded is not inan emergency state and that only the communication connection betweenthe first electronic device 110 and the third electronic device 130 isat least temporarily disconnected; and when the second communicationconnection between the first electronic device 110 and the thirdelectronic device 130 is disconnected and the communication connectionbetween the second electronic device 120 and the third electronic device130 is disconnected, it may mean that the vehicle A embedding the thirdelectronic device 130 is in an emergency state.

In various embodiments, the second electronic device 120 may activatethe timer to identify whether the third electronic device 130 transmitsa response signal for the test signal to the second electronic device120. In an embodiment, the timing of activating the timer may be changedaccording to whether the test signal is repeatedly transmitted. Forexample, under conditions in which the test signal is repeatedlytransmitted, the timer may be activated in response to last transmittingthe test signal. However, it is not limited thereto.

In various embodiments, the second electronic device 120 may identifywhether the response signal for the test signal is received from thethird electronic device 130 until the timer expires.

In operation 275, the third electronic device 130 may transmit aresponse signal before the timer of the second electronic device 120expires. The second electronic device 120 may receive the responsesignal from the third electronic device 130.

In operation 277, the second electronic device 120 may transmit a firstmessage to the first electronic device 110 in response to reception ofthe response signal. In various embodiments, the first message may beused to indicate that the vehicle A embedding the third electronicdevice 130 is not in an emergency state.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example in which the second electronic device 120transmits the first message before the timer expires, but this is forconvenience of explanation. According to embodiments, the secondelectronic device 120 may transmit the first message to the firstelectronic device 110 after the timer expires.

In operation 279, the second electronic device 120 may identify that theresponse signal is not received from the third electronic device 130until the timer expires. The second electronic device 120 may transmit asecond message to the first electronic device 110 based on (or inresponse) identifying that the response signal is not received from thethird electronic device 130 until the timer expires. The second messagemay be used to indicate that the vehicle A embedding the thirdelectronic device 130 is in an emergency state.

Meanwhile, the first electronic device 110 may receive the secondmessage from the second electronic device 120. Although not shown inFIG. 2 , the first electronic device 110 may transmit a message to thefourth electronic device 133 to indicate that an accident occurs to thevehicle A in order to provide the vehicle A with an emergency service,based reception of the second message. For example, the messagetransmitted from the first electronic device 110 to the fourthelectronic device 133 may include location information of the thirdelectronic device 130 obtained by the first electronic device 110 beforethe second communication connection between the first electronic device110 and the third electronic device 130 is disconnected. According toembodiments, the location information may be used by the fourthelectronic device 133 for the vehicle emergency service or may be sharedwith another electronic device related to the fourth electronic device133 for the vehicle emergency service.

As described above, when the second communication connection between thefirst electronic device 110 and the third electronic device 130 isdisconnected, the first electronic device 110 according to variousembodiments may detect whether the vehicle A including the thirdelectronic device 130 is in an emergency state by requesting to transmita test signal to the second electronic device 120 capable of executingD2D communication with the third electronic device 130. The firstelectronic device 110 according to various embodiments may provide anautomobile emergency service for the vehicle A by transmitting a messageto the fourth electronic device 133 based on detecting that the vehicleA is in the emergency state. Meanwhile, the second electronic device 120according to various embodiments may transmit a test signal to the thirdelectronic device 130 through D2D communication at the request of thefirst electronic device 110 and may determine whether the vehicle A isin an emergency state according to whether the response signal for thetest signal is received. The second electronic device 120 according tovarious embodiments may assist the vehicle emergency service for thevehicle A through this determination.

Meanwhile, in operation 270 of FIG. 2 according to various embodiments,the second electronic device 120 may transmit a vehicle stateconfirmation request message for requesting information on the state ofthe vehicle in which the third electronic device 130 is installed or thestate of the vehicle in which the third electronic device 130 isembedded to the third electronic device 130. Upon receiving the vehiclestate confirmation request message, the third electronic device 130 mayobtain state information of the vehicle from the vehicle electroniccontrol device connected to the in-vehicle network. In operation 275 ofFIG. 2 , the third electronic device 130 may transmit the obtained stateinformation of the vehicle to the second electronic device 120. Themeaning of “installed” may include a state in which the third electronicdevice 130 is mounted on a dashboard of the vehicle or mounted in thevehicle through a separate cradle by a user such as a driver of thevehicle or a dealer of the vehicle in an aftermarket after the vehicleis released. However, it is not limited thereto. The meaning of“embedded” includes being built-in as a component in the vehicle by thevehicle manufacturer before the vehicle is released in a before market.However, it is not limited thereto.

In an embodiment, the in-vehicle network is a network capable ofproviding communication interface with a vehicle electronic controldevice and may include various protocols such as Car Area Network (CAN),Ethernet, AUTOSAR, and FlexRay. In this case, the vehicle electroniccontrol device may include a device that generates various controlinformation necessary driving a vehicle, such as an electronic controlunit (ECU).

Meanwhile, the third electronic device 130 receiving the vehicle stateconfirmation request message according to another embodiment maytransmit the vehicle state confirmation message to the second electronicdevice 120 in response to the vehicle state confirmation requestmessage. The vehicle state confirmation message may include variousinformation indicating the current state of the vehicle. For example,the vehicle state confirmation message may include a vehicle brakestate, a vehicle sensor state, a vehicle engine state, a vehiclecommunication state, an electric motor state of the vehicle, a fuelgauge of the vehicle, a battery voltage state of the vehicle, a steeringstate of the vehicle, a wiper operation state of the vehicle, a vehiclehead lamp state of the vehicle, etc. In an embodiment, the secondelectronic device 120 may transmit the received vehicle stateconfirmation message to the first electronic device 110. The firstelectronic device 110 may indirectly check the state of the thirdelectronic device 130 based on the vehicle state confirmation message.

FIG. 3 is a simplified block diagram of an electronic device accordingto various embodiments. The simplified block diagram may representfunctional components of the first electronic device 110, the secondelectronic device 120, the third electronic device 130, and the fourthelectronic device 140 in the environment 100 shown in FIG. 1 .

Referring to FIG. 3 , the electronic device 300 may include a processor310, a memory 320, and a communication circuit 330.

The processor 310 may control the overall operation of the electronicdevice 300. In various embodiments, the processor 310 may include asingle processor core or a plurality of processor cores. For example,the processor 310 may include a multi-core such as a dual-core, aquad-core, and a hexa-core. According to embodiments, the processor 310may further include a cache memory located inside or outside.

The processor 310 may receive commands of other components of theelectronic device 300, may interpret the received commands, and mayperform calculations or process data according to the interpretedcommands.

The processor 310 may process data or signals created or generated in aprogram. For example, the processor 310 may request an instruction,command, data, or signal from the memory 320 to execute or control aprogram. The processor 310 may record (or store) or update instruction,command, data, or signal to the memory 320 in order to execute orcontrol the program.

The processor 310 may interpret and process messages, instructions,data, commands, or signals received from the memory 320 or thecommunication circuit 330. The processor 310 may generate a new message,data, commands, or signals based on the received message, data,commands, or signals. The processor 310 may provide a processed orgenerated message, data, command, or signal to the memory 320 or thecommunication circuit 330.

All or part of the processor 310 may be electrically or operativelycoupled or connected to other components in the electronic device 300(for example, the memory 320 or the communication circuit 330).

According to embodiments, the processor 310 may be configured with oneor more processors. For example, the processor 310 may include at leastone of an application processor, a communication processor, a graphicalprocessing unit (GPU), or a sensor hub. In various embodiments,processor 310 may be configured to execute the operations illustratedthrough FIGS. 1 to 2 .

The memory 320 may store instructions, commands, control command codes,control data, or user data for controlling the electronic device 300.For example, the memory 320 may include at least one of an applicationprogram, an operating system (OS), middleware, or a device driver.

The memory 320 may include at least one of a volatile memory and anon-volatile memory. The volatile memory may include dynamic randomaccess memory (DRAM), static RAM (SRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM),phase-change RAM (PRAM), magnetic FAM (MRAM), resistive RAM (RRAM),ferroelectric RAM (FeRAM), etc. The nonvolatile memory may include aread only memory (ROM), a programmable ROM (PROM), an electricallyprogrammable ROM (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable ROM(EEPROM), a flash memory, etc.

The memory 320 may further include a non-volatile medium such as a harddisk drive (HDD), a solid state disk (SSD), an embedded multi-media card(eMMC), and a universal flash storage (UFS).

The communication circuit 330 may support establishment of a wired orwireless communication channel between the electronic device 300 and theexternal electronic device and performance of communication through theestablished communication channel. According to one embodiment, thecommunication circuit 330 may include a wireless communication circuit(e.g., cellular communication circuitry, near field communicationcircuitry, or global navigation satellite system (GNSS) communicationcircuitry) or a wired communication circuit (e.g., local area network(LAN) communication circuit, or power line communication circuit), andmay communicate with an external electronic device through a firstnetwork (e.g. near field communication (NFC), wireless power transfer(WPT), magnetic secure transmission (MST), Bluetooth, Wi-Fi direct, orshort-range communication networks such as infrared data association(IrDA)) or a second network (e.g., long-distance communication networkssuch as cellular networks, the Internet, or computer networks (e.g., LANor WAN)) using a corresponding communication circuit among them. Theabove-described various types of communication circuits 330 may beimplemented as a single chip or as separate chips.

In various embodiments, the communication circuit 330 may be operativelycoupled to the processor 310.

FIG. 4 illustrates a system environment according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 4 , a system environment 400 according to anembodiment may include a first electronic device 410, a secondelectronic device 420, and a third electronic device 430.

Each of the first electronic device 410, the second electronic device420, and the third electronic device 430 may include functionalcomponents illustrated in FIG. 3 .

The first electronic device 410 may open a first communication channel425 with the second electronic device 420. In addition, the firstelectronic device 410 may open a second communication channel 435 withthe third electronic device 430. The second electronic device 420 mayopen a third communication channel 445 with the third electronic device430.

The first electronic device 410 may be a base station that serves as arelay between a plurality of electronic devices and an exchange station.The first electronic device 410 may perform functions such as opening acall channel with an electronic device (e.g., the second electronicdevice 420 and the third electronic device 430) provided in a movingobject within a cell range that is a serviceable area assigned to thefirst electronic device 410 and transmitting a call signal. The cellrange may be a communication available area of the first electronicdevice 410. The first electronic device 410 may communicate with aplurality of electronic devices (e.g., the second electronic device 420and the third electronic device 430) located within the cell range, andmay receive signals from the plurality of electronic devices. The firstelectronic device 410 may generate a list including information on aplurality of electronic devices located within the cell range based onsignals received from a plurality of electronic devices within the cellrange. The first electronic device 410 may transmit a list including aplurality of electronic device information to a plurality of electronicdevices located within a cell range.

The second electronic device 420 and the third electronic device 430 maybe electronic devices existing within a cell range supported by thefirst electronic device 410. The second electronic device 420 and thethird electronic device 430 may be electronic devices provided on amoving object such as a vehicle. The second electronic device 420 andthe third electronic device 430 may exchange signals and informationthrough a third communication channel 145 (e.g., a device-to-device(D2D) communication channel) opened with each other. Each of the secondelectronic device 420 and the third electronic device 430 may directlycommunicate with the first electronic device 410.

In various embodiments, the second electronic device 420 and the thirdelectronic device 430 may communicate with the first electronic device410, which is an upper node of the second electronic device 420 and thethird electronic device 430. In various embodiments, the secondelectronic device 420 may perform communication with the thirdelectronic device 430 having the same level as the level of the secondelectronic device 420. For example, communication between the secondelectronic device 420 and the third electronic device 430 may bereferred to as device-to-device (D2D) communication in terms ofcommunication between electronic devices having the same level. However,it is not limited thereto. In various embodiments, the third electronicdevice 430 may perform communication with the second electronic device420 having the same level as the level of the third electronic device430. For example, communication between the third electronic device 430and the second electronic device 420 may be referred to asdevice-to-device (D2D) communication in terms of communication betweenelectronic devices having the same level. However, it is not limitedthereto.

The second electronic device 420 and the third electronic device 430 maybe connected to a control device in a moving object that processesinformation on a vehicle. A control device (e.g., an electronic controlunit (ECU) in the moving object may control, drive, brake, and/orsteering systems of the transmission. A control device (e.g., anelectronic control unit (ECU) in the moving object may transmissioncontrol, driving, control a braking and/or steering system. The controldevice in the moving object may collect data of the driving, braking,shifting, and steering systems of the vehicle and determine the state ofthe vehicle and control each system to operate normally based on thecollected data. For example, in order to control the driving system, thecontrol device in the moving object may adjust the opening and closingof the injector by checking the designated ignition time MAP (ManifoldAbsolute Pressure) value and fuel injection MAP value according to theengine's rotational speed, air intake, air intake pressure and degree ofopening of the accelerator and correcting the sensor and the like.

According to various embodiments, an emergency situation (e.g., avehicle failure, a traffic accident, etc.) occurs in a moving object onwhich the second electronic device 420 is mounted, the second electronicdevice 420 may stop transmitting signals to the first electronic device410. The second electronic device 420 may transmit a signal related toan emergency situation to the third electronic device 430 in theemergency situation. After receiving the signal related to theoccurrence of an emergency, the third electronic device 430 may transmita signal related to the occurrence of an emergency situation to themoving object on which the second electronic device 420 is mounted tothe first electronic device 410.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an emergency situation notificationoperation according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 5 , the first electronic device 410, the secondelectronic device 420, and the third electronic device 430 maycommunicate with each other.

According to an embodiment, the first electronic device 410 may generatea list including information on adjacent terminals. The first electronicdevice 410 may receive information on terminals located within theserviceable cell range of the first electronic device 410 and generate alist of terminals located within the cell range based on the receivedinformation.

According to various embodiments, the first electronic device 410 mayrecombine a list including information related to an electronic devicelocated within a certain range from an electronic device mounted on orembedded in moving object based on information on terminals locatedwithin a cell range. For example, the information may recombine the listincluding location information and movement direction information of theelectronic device located within a certain range (or a designated range)from the electronic device mounted or embedded in the moving object. Forexample, the list may be obtained based on the location information andthe movement direction information. The first electronic device 410 maytransmit a list including information related to the electronic devicelocated within a certain range from the recombinant electronic device tothe electronic device. For example, the list may be broadcast within thecell range of the first electronic device 410. As another example, thelist may be transmitted by specifying the second electronic device 420and the third electronic device 430. However, it is not limited thereto.

For example, in operation 510, the first electronic device 410 maytransmit, to the second electronic device 420, a list includinginformation related to an electronic device located within a certainrange of the second electronic device 420. When the third electronicdevice 430 is located within a designated range from the secondelectronic device 420, the first electronic device 410 may transmit alist including information on adjacent terminals including the thirdelectronic device 430 to the second electronic device 420.

According to various embodiments, in operation 512, the first electronicdevice 410 may transmit a list including information related to anelectronic device located within a predetermined range of the thirdelectronic device 430 to the third electronic device 430. For example,the list may include location information of the second electronicdevice 420 and movement direction information of the second electronicdevice 420. When the second electronic device 420 is located within apredetermined range from the third electronic device 430, the firstelectronic device 410 may transmit a list including information onadjacent terminals including the second electronic device 420 to thethird electronic device 430.

According to various embodiments, in operation 524, the secondelectronic device 420 may detect an emergency situation of a movingobject mounted with the second electronic device 420 after receiving thelist 410. For example, the second electronic device 420 may be connectedto a control device of a moving object. The second electronic device 420may detect that an emergency situation of the moving object occurs basedon the information obtained from the control device of the movingobject. The second electronic device 420 may detect an abnormality ofthe vehicle based on the obtained information from the control device ofthe moving object, and identify the abnormality of the vehicle as anemergency situation when the abnormality of the vehicle is urgent (e.g.,braking of the vehicle is out of control or abnormal acceleration of thevehicle, etc.). As another example, the control device of the movingobject may determine that it is an emergency situation and transmit asignal related to the emergency situation to the second electronicdevice 420.

As another example, the second electronic device 420 may include aplurality of sensors such as an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, anda proximity sensor. As another example, the sensors may be sensorsmounted on a moving object, and the second electronic device 420 mayreceive data obtained by the sensors from the moving object.

The second electronic device 420 may detect whether a contact betweenthe moving object on which the second electronic device 420 is mountedor mounted and the moving object adjacent to the second electronicdevice 420 occurs from the proximity sensor and the impact detectionsensor. The second electronic device 420 may detect the posture, movingspeed, and speed change of the moving object on which the secondelectronic device 420 is mounted from the acceleration sensor and thegyro sensor. When the posture change, movement speed, and speed changeof the moving object are abnormal, the second electronic device 420 maydetect that it is an emergency.

As another example, various methods described above may be used todetect the emergency situation.

According to an embodiment, in operation 526, the second electronicdevice 420 stop transmitting a signal to the first electronic device 410in response to detection of an emergency situation. Since the powersupplied to the second electronic device 420 may be limited, the secondelectronic device 420 may stop transmitting signals to the firstelectronic device 410 located at a long distance.

In operation 528, the second electronic device 420 may transmit amessage indicating an emergency (or a signal indicating, an emergency)to an adjacent electronic device. The second electronic device 420 mayopen a communication channel (e.g., the third communication channel 445of FIG. 4 ) with the third electronic device 430, and the secondelectronic device 420 may transmit data to the third electronic device430. The second electronic device 420 may identify an electronic deviceexisting at an adjacent location based on a list including informationon adjacent terminals received from the first electronic device 410. Forexample, when the electronic device adjacent to the second electronicdevice 420 is the third electronic device 430, the third electronicdevice 430 may notify an emergency situation of a moving object on whichthe second electronic device 420 is equipped or mounted. For example,since the distance between the second electronic device 420 and thethird electronic device 430 is shorter than the distance between thefirst electronic device 410 and the second electronic device 420, thetransmission power required to transmit the message to the thirdelectronic device 430 may be less than the transmission power requiredto transmit the message to the first electronic device 410. For example,the second electronic device 420 may transmit the message to the thirdelectronic device 430 with transmission power lower than transmissionpower used when transmitting a message or signal to the first electronicdevice 410.

According to various embodiments, it has been described that the secondelectronic device 420 transmits a message indicating an emergencysituation to the third electronic device 430, which is an electronicdevice adjacent to the second electronic device 420, but is not limitedthereto; and the second electronic device 420 may transmit a messageindicating an emergency situation to other adjacent electronic devicesother than the third electronic device 430, and it is also possible todirectly transmit the message to the first electronic device 410. Whenthe second electronic device 420 fails to transmit a message indicatingan emergency to the first electronic device 410 and the third electronicdevice 430 and retransmits, the second electronic device 420 may changethe retransmission period to the first electronic device 410 and thethird electronic device 430. The period in which the second electronicdevice 420 retransmits the message to the first electronic device 410may be longer than the period in which the second electronic device 420retransmits the message to the adjacent third electronic device 430.However, it is not limited thereto.

According to various embodiments, in operation 530, the third electronicdevice 430 may transmit a message indicating that a moving objectmounted with the second electronic device 420 is in an emergency to thefirst electronic device 410 in response to the received emergencysituation.

According to various embodiments, the third electronic device 430 mayidentify that the vehicle on which the second electronic device 420 ismounted is in an emergency situation based on receiving the messagereceived from the second electronic device 420. Based on identifyingthat the second electronic device 420 is in an emergency situation, thethird electronic device 430 may transmit a message indicating that thesecond electronic device 420 is in an emergency situation to the firstelectronic device 410.

The first electronic device 410 may transmit the received message to theemergency situation agency in response to reception of a messageindicating that the second electronic device 420 is in an emergencysituation.

As described above, the second electronic device 420 according tovarious embodiments may save communication resources of the secondelectronic device 420 consumed to inform the emergency situation of thevehicle, by transmitting a message indicating the emergency situation ofthe vehicle using a D2D link between the second electronic device 420and the third electronic device 430 in response to detecting theemergency situation of the vehicle. This may be because resourcesconsumed to use the D2D link between the second electronic device 420and the third electronic device 430 are smaller than resources consumedto use the communication link between the first electronic device 410and the second electronic device 420, since the distance between thesecond electronic device 420 and the third electronic device 430 iscloser than the distance between the first electronic device 410 and thesecond electronic device 420. Meanwhile, the third electronic device 430may notify the first electronic device 410 of the emergency situation ofthe vehicle based on the message received from the second electronicdevice 420.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of stopping transmission of a signal tothe first electronic device 410, but this is for convenience ofexplanation. Unlike FIG. 5 , the second electronic device 420 may notexecute the transmission of the signal. In this case, the secondelectronic device 420 according to various embodiments may providetransmission diversity by transmitting a message indicating theemergency situation of the vehicle to the first electronic device 410and transmitting a message indicating the emergency situation of thevehicle to the third electronic device 430. Since the transmissiondiversity may robustly notify the first electronic device 410 of theemergency situation of the vehicle, it may provide an enhanced publicsafety service.

As described above, the electronic device (e.g., the electronic device300) according to various embodiments may comprise a communicationcircuitry (e.g., communication circuit 330); a memory (e.g., memory 320)configured to store instructions; and a processor (e.g., processor 310),operably coupled with the communication circuitry; wherein the processormay be, when executing the instructions, configured to: receive, from asecond electronic device operating as a relay node, a signal forindicating to transmit a test signal via a device-to-device (D2D)communication path between the first electronic device and a thirdelectronic device to the third electronic device, the signal istransmitted from the second electronic device to the first electronicdevice in response to the second electronic device detecting that acommunication path between the second electronic device and the thirdelectronic device is disconnected; in response to the reception of thesignal, transmit the test signal via the D2D communication path to thethird electronic device; in response to the reception of the signal,activate a timer for monitoring whether a response signal regarding thetest signal is received or not; based on identifying that the responsesignal is received from the third electronic device before the activatedtimer is expired, transmit, to the second electronic device, a firstmessage for indicating that a vehicle comprising the third electronicdevice is not in an emergency situation; and based on identifying thatthe response signal is not received from the third electronic deviceuntil the activated timer is expired, transmit, to the second electronicdevice, a second message for indicating that the vehicle comprising thethird electronic device is in the emergency situation.

In one configuration, the processor may be configured to repeatedlytransmit the test signal to the third electronic device when executingthe instructions. In one configuration, the processor may be configuredto repeatedly transmit the test signal by transmitting to the thirdelectronic device the test signal with a first transmit power andtransmitting to the third electronic device the test signal with asecond transmit power different from the first transmit power aftertransmitting the test signal with the first transmit power whenexecuting the instructions. In one configuration, the processor may beconfigured to repeatedly transmit the test signal by transmitting to thethird electronic device the test signal on a first frequency andtransmitting to the third electronic device the test signal on a secondfrequency different from the first frequency after transmitting the testsignal on the first frequency when executing the instructions.

In one embodiment, the timer may be activated in response to the lasttransmission of the test signal.

In one embodiment, the test signal may be unicast.

In one configuration, the signal may be configured to identify fromamong a plurality of signals that are transmitted from the secondelectronic device to the first electronic device and when executing theinstructions, the processor may be configured to receive, from thesecond electronic device, remaining signals except the signal from amongthe plurality of signals, after receiving the signal from among theplurality of signals from the second electronic device.

In an embodiment, the first electronic device may be identified fromamong a plurality of electronic devices in at least one cell provided bythe second electronic device, based on the location information obtainedby the second electronic device.

In an embodiment, the first electronic device may have identificationinformation corresponding to identification information of the thirdelectronic device.

In an embodiment, disconnection of a communication path between thesecond electronic device and the third electronic device may be detectedby the second electronic device, based on identifying not to receive asignal from the third electronic device in a state in which a quality ofa state of the communication path between the second electronic deviceand the third electronic device that is estimated by the secondelectronic device is above a reference quality.

As described above, according to various embodiments, a method foroperating a first electronic device comprising a communicationcircuitry, the method may comprise: receiving, from a second electronicdevice operating as a relay node, a signal for indicating to transmit atest signal via a device-to-device (D2D) communication path between thefirst electronic device and a third electronic device to the thirdelectronic device, the signal is transmitted from the second electronicdevice to the first electronic device in response to the secondelectronic device detecting that a communication path between the secondelectronic device and the third electronic device is disconnected; inresponse to the reception of the signal, transmit the test signal viathe D2D communication path to the third electronic device; in responseto the reception of the signal, activate a timer for monitoring whethera response signal regarding the test signal is received or not; based onidentifying that the response signal is received from the thirdelectronic device before the activated timer is expired, transmit, tothe second electronic device, a first message for indicating that avehicle comprising the third electronic device is not in an emergencysituation; and based on identifying that the response signal is notreceived from the third electronic device until the activated timer isexpired, transmit, to the second electronic device, a second message forindicating that the vehicle comprising the third electronic device is inthe emergency situation.

As described above, according to various embodiments, a computerreadable storage medium may store one or more programs, the one or moreprograms comprising instructions which, when executed by at least oneprocessor of a first electronic device, cause the first electronicdevice to: receive, from a second electronic device operating as a relaynode, a signal for indicating to transmit a test signal via adevice-to-device (D2D) communication path between the first electronicdevice and a third electronic device to the third electronic device, thesignal is transmitted from the second electronic device to the firstelectronic device in response to the second electronic device detectingthat a communication path between the second electronic device and thethird electronic device is disconnected; in response to the reception ofthe signal, transmit the test signal via the D2D communication path tothe third electronic device; in response to the reception of the signal,activate a timer for monitoring whether a response signal regarding thetest signal is received or not; based on identifying that the responsesignal is received from the third electronic device before the activatedtimer is expired, transmit, to the second electronic device, a firstmessage for indicating that a vehicle comprising the third electronicdevice is not in an emergency situation; and based on identifying thatthe response signal is not received from the third electronic deviceuntil the activated timer is expired, transmit, to the second electronicdevice, a second message for indicating that the vehicle comprising thethird electronic device is in the emergency situation.

Methods according to the embodiments described in the claims orspecifications of the present disclosure may be implemented in the formof hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software.

When implemented as software, a computer-readable storage medium may beprovided that stores one or more programs (software modules). One ormore programs stored in the computer-readable storage medium areconfigured for execution by one or more processors in an electronicdevice.

One or more programs include instructions that cause the electronicdevice to execute the methods according to the embodiments described inthe claims or specification of the present disclosure.

These programs (software modules, software) may be stored in randomaccess memory, non-volatile memory including flash memory, ROM (ReadOnly Memory), and electrically erasable Read Only Memory (EEPROM),magnetic disk storage device, Compact Disc-ROM (CD-ROM), DigitalVersatile Disks (DVDs), or other forms of optical storage, magneticcassette. Alternatively, it may be stored in a memory composed of acombination of some or all of them. In addition, each configurationmemory may be included in plurality.

In addition, the program may be stored in a communication network suchas the Internet, an intranet, a local area network (LAN), a wide LAN(WLAN), or a storage area network (SAN); or an attachable storage devicethat can be accessed through a communication network composed of acombination thereof. Such a storage device may access a deviceperforming an embodiment of the present disclosure through an externalport. In addition, a separate storage device on the communicationnetwork may access a device performing an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

In specific embodiments of the present disclosure described above, thecomponents included in the disclosure have been expressed in a single orplural number according to the specific embodiments presented. However,singular or plural expressions are selected appropriately for thesituation presented for convenience of explanation, and the presentdisclosure is not limited to singular or plural components and even ifit is a component expressed in plural, it may consist of a singlenumber, or even if it is a component expressed in a single number, itmay consist of a plurality.

Meanwhile, detailed embodiments have been described in the detaileddescription of the present disclosure, but it goes without saying thatvarious modifications are possible within the limit not departing fromthe scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the scope of the presentdisclosure should not be limited to the described embodiments, butshould be determined by the scope of the patent claim to be describedlater as well as those equivalent to the scope of the patent claim.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A first electronic device comprising: acommunication circuitry; a memory configured to store instructions; anda processor, operably coupled with the communication circuitry, whereinthe processor is, when executing the instructions, configured to:receive, from a second electronic device operating as a relay node, asignal for indicating to transmit a test signal via a device-to-device(D2D) communication path between the first electronic device and a thirdelectronic device to the third electronic device, the signal istransmitted from the second electronic device to the first electronicdevice in response to the second electronic device detecting that acommunication path between the second electronic device and the thirdelectronic device is disconnected; in response to the reception of thesignal, transmit the test signal via the D2D communication path to thethird electronic device; in response to the reception of the signal,activate a timer for monitoring whether a response signal regarding thetest signal is received or not; based on identifying that the responsesignal is received from the third electronic device before the activatedtimer is expired, transmit, to the second electronic device, a firstmessage for indicating that a vehicle comprising the third electronicdevice is not in an emergency situation; and based on identifying thatthe response signal is not received from the third electronic deviceuntil the activated timer is expired transmit, to the second electronicdevice, a second message for indicating that the vehicle comprising thethird electronic device is in the emergency situation.
 2. The firstelectronic device of claim 1, wherein the processor is, when executingthe instructions, configured to: repeatedly transmit the test signal tothe third electronic device.
 3. The first electronic device of claim 2,wherein the processor is, when executing the instructions, configuredto: repeatedly transmit the test signal by transmitting to the thirdelectronic device the test signal with a first transmit (Tx) power andtransmitting to the third electronic device the test signal with asecond Tx power different from the first Tx power after transmitting thetest signal with the first transmit power.
 4. The first electronicdevice of claim 2, wherein the processor is, when executing theinstructions, configured to: repeatedly transmit the test signal bytransmitting to the third electronic device the test signal on a firstfrequency and transmitting to the third electronic device the testsignal on a second frequency different from the first frequency aftertransmitting the test signal on the first frequency.
 5. The firstelectronic device of claim 2, wherein the timer is activated in responseto the last transmission of the test signal.
 6. The first electronicdevice of claim 1, wherein the test signal is unicasted.
 7. The firstelectronic device of claim 1, wherein the signal is identified fromamong a plurality of signals that are transmitted from the secondelectronic device to the first electronic device, and wherein theprocessor is when executing the instructions, configured to: receive,from the second electronic device, remaining signals except the signalfrom among the plurality of signals, after receiving the signal fromamong the plurality of signals from the second electronic device.
 8. Thefirst electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first electronic deviceis identified from among a plurality of electronic devices in at leastone cell provided by the second electronic device, based on locationinformation obtained by the second electronic device.
 9. The firstelectronic device of claim 1, wherein the first electronic device hasidentification information cones ponding to identification informationof the third electronic device.
 10. The first electronic device of claim1, wherein a disconnection between the second electronic device and thethird electronic device is detected by the second electronic device,based on identifying not to receive a signal from the third electronicdevice in a state in which a quality of a state of the communicationpath between the second electronic device and the third electronicdevice that is estimated by the second electronic device is above areference quality.
 11. A method for operating a first electronic devicecomprising a communication circuitry, the method comprising: receiving,from a second electronic device operating as a relay node, a signal forindicating to transmit a test signal via a device-to-device (D2D)communication path between the first electronic device and a thirdelectronic device to the third electronic device, the signal istransmitted from the second electronic device to the first electronicdevice in response to they second electronic device detecting that acommunication path between the second electronic device and the thirdelectronic device is disconnected; in response to the reception of thesignal transmitting the test signal via the D2D communication path tothe third electronic device; in response to the reception of the signal,activating a timer for monitoring whether a response signal regardingthe test signal is received or not; based on identifying that theresponse signal is received from the third electronic device before theactivated timer is expired, transmitting, to the second electronicdevice, a first message for indicating that a vehicle comprising thethird electronic device is not in an emergency situation; and based onidentifying that the response signal is not received from the thirdelectronic device until the activated timer is expired, transmitting, tothe second electronic device, a second message for indicating that thevehicle comprising the third electronic device is in the emergencysituation.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein transmitting the testsignal comprises: repeatedly transmitting the test signal to the thirdelectronic device.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein repeatedlytransmitting the test signal comprises: repeatedly transmitting the testsignal by transmitting to the third electronic device the test signalwith a first transmit (Tx) power and transmitting to the thirdelectronic device the test signal with a second Tx power different fromthe first Tx power after transmitting the test signal with the firsttransmit power.
 14. The method of claim 12, wherein repeatedlytransmitting the test signal comprises: repeatedly transmitting the testsignal by transmitting to the third electronic device the test signal ona first frequency and transmitting to the third electronic device thetest signal on a second frequency different from the first frequencyafter transmitting the test signal on the first frequency.
 15. Themethod of claim 12, wherein the timer is activated in response to thelast transmission of the test signal.
 16. The method of claim 11,wherein the signal is identified from among a plurality of signals thatare transmitted from the second electronic device to the firstelectronic device, and wherein the method further comprises: receiving,from the second electronic device, remaining signals except the signalfrom among the plurality of signals, after receiving the signal fromamong the plurality of signals from the second electronic device. 17.The method of claim 11, wherein the first electronic device isidentified from among a plurality of electronic devices in at least onecell provided by the second electronic device, based on locationinformation obtained by the second electronic device.
 18. The method ofclaim 11, wherein the first electronic device has identificationinformation corresponding to identification information of the thirdelectronic device.
 19. The method of claim 11, wherein a disconnectionbetween the second electronic device and the third electronic device isdetected by the second electronic device, based on identifying not toreceive a signal from the third electronic device in a state in which aquality of a state of the communication path between the secondelectronic device and the third electronic device that is estimated bythe second electronic device is above a reference quality.
 20. Anon-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or moreprograms, the one or more programs comprising instructions which, whenexecuted by at least one processor of a first electronic device, causethe first electronic device to: receive, from a second electronic deviceoperating as a relay node, a signal for indicating to transmit a testsignal via a device-to-device (D2D) communication path between the firstelectronic device and a third electronic device to the third electronicdevice, the signal is transmitted from the second electronic device tothe first electronic device in response to the second electronic devicedetecting that a communication path between the second electronic deviceand the third electronic device is disconnected; in response to thereception of the signal, transmit the test signal via the D2Dcommunication path to the third electronic device; in response to thereception of the signal, activate a timer for monitoring whether aresponse signal regarding the test signal is received or not; based onidentifying that the response signal is received from the thirdelectronic device before the activated timer is expired, transmit, tothe second electronic device, a first message for indicating that avehicle comprising the third electronic device is not in an emergencysituation, and based on identifying that the response signal is notreceived from the third electronic device until the activated timer isexpired transmit, to the second electronic device, a second message forindicating that the vehicle comprising the third electronic device is inthe emergency situation.